The Life-Changing Persian Soup I’ve Been Making for 15 Years (and Counting)

Throughout this food life of mine, I’ve been given guides — people or things who have encouraged me to be better or taught me something new. I never forget these souls who have graced my life and left me with something of value.

A few lifetimes ago, I was a receptionist for the PCC Natural Markets corporate office in Seattle. The organic grocery co-op also has a cooking school, and occasionally they would offer the office staff free lunchtime cooking classes. One of those classes was my first introduction to Omid Roustaei and Aash-e Jow, a Persian soup made of barley, rice, beans, and lentils. It was also my first time experiencing Iranian flavors.

Omid was an eager teacher, passionate about bringing Persian cuisine to every table. I don’t remember much about the class other than the incredible food (after all, this was over 15 years ago), but when I recently reached out to Omid, he spoke of how nervous he had been, and how he ran short on time and had to finish the soup in a pressure cooker. I don’t remember any of that! What I do remember is his energetic teaching style and the final product: the soup.

Omid began by cooking aromatics with turmeric, cumin, and coriander, which filled the room with a delicious aroma. I had never smelled these combinations of spices before, let alone used them in my own cooking. He added the pearled barley, lentils, and basmati rice, and coated the grains in the spices. He then added water and brought it all up to a simmer. 

Next up were the caramelized onions, which he cooked until they were dark and crispy, and then tossed in dried mint and garlic. He then chopped so many greens and herbs — spinach, cilantro, and parsley — and when the grains were cooked through, he added in the herbs with garbanzo beans. The final touch? A little sour cream, used in place of the traditional whey. 

I knew I loved this humble bowl of soup before it was even placed before me — I could smell it in the air. And when I tasted it, I loved it even more than I thought I would. It was a defining moment in my young cook’s heart. I have taken these flavors and these ingredients with me on my life journey. 

I took the packet from the class and kept it in my kitchen, and I’ve probably made the soup a hundred times since for my family and friends. We call it Persian Soup night. It’s vegetarian, so you can feed it to almost anyone, and I’ve omitted the barley for my gluten-free friends and the dairy for my vegan friends. At some point, I switched from sour cream to Greek yogurt, and sometimes I switch up the herbs and add dill to the parsley and cilantro. I always make twice as many caramelized onions because I have a habit of snacking on them while I’m cooking.

Eventually, the packet from the class was covered in cooking mess, so I transcribed the recipe to a card I kept in a recipe box (this was before Pinterest). I used that recipe card until the ink faded, and I’ve since been forced to cook it from memory until I recently reached out to Omid for the recipe, which I’m sharing here.

That class, 15 years ago, created a culinary curiosity within me that changed my life and kept me seeking more. I’ve never forgotten Omid, who, to this day, is still teaching with the same warm energy that I remember, bringing Persian flavors to every table. I’ve made his soup so many times that now it has become part of my family’s life fabric. My daughters will always have the memory of this soup at our dinner table, and it’s possible they love it so much that they will serve at their own tables, too.